The NFL salary cap was expected to decline in 2021, and now the official figures have been released.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the salary cap for the 2021 season will be $182.5 million, down from $198.2 million in 2020.
The numbers for the 2021 salary cap were based on the revenue generated during the 2020 season, which saw inequities in stadium attendance with some cities allowing fans at a reduced capacities and some cities not allowing fans at all.
“[The] salary cap is this year what the salary cap is this year because it was based on a projection from last year’s revenue,” NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith told reporters on July 17, 2020. “Next year’s salary cap will be projected on revenue this year if nothing happens, if the [collective bargaining agreement] operates the way the CBA is going to operate.”
For the salary cap-strapped Houston Texans, a drop in the salary cap is not what they needed as they seek to rebuild from a 4-12 season without their first and second-round picks to use.
